Tuesday evening, the last item on the agenda of the municipal council concerned the continuation or not of the Seille wind project. The new mayor, Romain Moreaux, first presented a summary of the project, listing its advantages and disadvantages. “Legally, it is too late to ask the opinion of Morvillois by referendum. But I hear the voices being raised in the village and I need to know the position of the new council. »
€144 per inhabitant
After focusing on potential financial revenues, he launched the debate around this project to install 3 wind turbines in his town (and 3 others in Lesménils), initiated under the mandate of Guy Vuébat. Speaking for the opposition, Astrid Stauch shared all the information gathered “after having worked a lot on the subject”. According to her, the two wind turbines installed on municipal plots would bring in “around €25,000”, if they operate at 100%, “or €144 per inhabitant”.
In the equation, the “financial winners” are the community of municipalities, the Department, as well as the farmers who rent their plot. She then listed the downsides, namely “destruction of the landscape” and “environmental degradation”. Without forgetting the “problem of dismantling in 30 years”. She underlined the risk of saying “yes for 6 wind turbines” and ending up “with a huge park”.
“Are we not able to get public money elsewhere? » questioned the advisor.
Secret ballot
Around the table, the discussions were constructive and all the elected officials wanted to “put an end to this seriously degraded atmosphere in the village”.
“Does Morville need a lot of money?” », asks Julie Robert, first assistant. She prefers to focus on “living together”. Some admit to being overwhelmed by the subject but without wanting to “mislead” the residents. “At the time, I just thought it was a study. If there are more disadvantages than advantages, it should not be done,” recognizes David Hisbergue. “I’m not a specialist but no one wants a nuclear or coal power plant,” explains Catherine Scasso.
After half an hour of discussion, municipal councilors decided to vote by secret ballot. With six votes for, two against, one abstention, one blank, the new municipal council has now chosen to no longer support this wind project, led by the promoter Akuo. A decision that the former mayor, Guy Vuébat, present in the audience, will not have had live, having previously left the room by slamming the door.
On the other hand, Eric Braizat, president of the SEME 54 association, was delighted with this unprecedented turnaround. “It’s a battle won. We will have the support of the municipal council and that will weigh with the prefect,” he reacted at the end of the council. The next step will be the public inquiry. “We are going to communicate with the residents and I think that will calm things down, after the loss of confidence in the previous team,” he finished.
